


The Second Generation of Thieves

by wiccanapprentice



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Multi, No Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Original Character(s), Polythieves (Persona 5)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26773345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wiccanapprentice/pseuds/wiccanapprentice
Summary: A collection of stories about the children of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, ranging from their own adventures with personae and the MetaVerse to their down time with their various families. What happens when the Metaverse comes back and one of Ren's sons is named the new Wild Card? Is it easier or harder to master the skills when you've been raised on stories of the thieves and your parents are well aware of the signs that their kids are hiding something big?
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren/Kitagawa Yusuke, Amamiya Ren/Kitagawa Yusuke, Mishima Yuuki/Suzui Shiho, Niijima Makoto/Takamaki Ann, Okumura Haru/Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	1. Family Dynamic - Free Time

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter will contain the longest note as I have things to explain. 
> 
> The relationships I have tagged this with are simply the married couples. We stan polythieves in this household and everyone had kids with everyone else either biologically or via science. Most of the story is being played out on TikTok so if you have an account there, feel free to follow the persona2ndgen tag where you will see all kinds of interactions between the various kids. 
> 
> This story won't be a chronological play by play of every single little moment. A lot of it will be snapshots of things the group has done in character either on TikTok or when hanging out on discord. Actual story moments and snapshots will be labelled as such in the chapter title. Snapshot chapters will be labelled "Free Time", story chapters will be labelled "Mission"
> 
> I don't have an update schedule as this kind of thing takes a great deal of time to write and edit. Only two of these characters are mine so I will often double check with the rest of the group that this is how they see their characters and then edit accordingly. We all of course have our own lives and schedules not to mention, dealing with those pesky timezones. So please, if this story grabs your attention, I humbly ask for your patience.
> 
> That being said, I hope you enjoy the story my friends and I wish to tell.
> 
> \-------
> 
> In this chapter: A Wild Card explains his Family Web
> 
> \-----------

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Wild Card explains his Family Web. No really... it's not a tree, it's a web.

“Dude! Hey! Akechi! Come on, man don’t ignore me!”  
The boy being called turned around, stepping to the edge of the hallway so he didn’t get caught in the crowd of students now leaving campus to head home for the day. If there was a simple way to describe this boy, it would be charming. Dark fluffy hair, bright expressive yet mysterious grey eyes somewhat obscured by his glasses, fairly tall and more lanky than anything as the teen hadn’t quite grown into his limbs yet and a pleasing sounding voice. Hakura Akechi smiled at his classmate.  
“Something up?”  
“Yeah.. yeah…” His classmate held up a finger, bent over as he tried to get his breath back. Must’ve run halfway across the building. “I gotta know man, who takes you home?”  
“Uhhh… kinda depends on the day. It’s not that they’re taking me home, it’s more like we’re going home together cause they don’t have other obligations and its nice to grab a little one on one time.” He replied, one hand going to the back of his neck to awkwardly rub at it. “Why?”  
“So they’re all family?” His classmate pressed.  
“For the most part…”  
“So you’re not cheating on that tall blue haired chick from last week?”  
Haku immediately back pedalled and smacked his classmate in the arm. “Ew gross! Honoka is practically my sister!”  
“…Honoka?” Haku did not like the smile his classmate suddenly had.  
“Don’t even think about it.” He said sharply, eyes glinting a little. “She’s gay and way out of your league.”  
His classmate huffed and Haku relaxed at least until he saw that smile creep up again. He tensed up, relaxing his arm so he could swing his bag if he needed to.  
“So what about that little cutie in first year I’ve seen you with~? Nothing going on with her~?”  
Haku snorted. “Yuuka is also practically family. So go for it, dude, but I’ll warn you; she’s more trouble than she’s worth. Plus, you’ll have Hiro breathing down your neck all the time.”  
It should not have been that funny and satisfying to watch the creepiness shift to confusion, knowing what he knew about his patchwork family. “Hiro?”  
“Okumura Hiroshi in third year. Yuuka’s big brother.” Haku chirped back.  
Hiro, being as tall and introverted as he was, had a bit of a reputation. He cut an imposing, intimidating figure. Honestly, it was pretty funny watching crowds part for the boy as tiny little Yuuka beamed and chatted away, skipping quite happily next to him especially when you knew Hiro really wasn’t that scary when you actually knew him.

He really shouldn’t have taken as much pleasure in his classmate’s pale faced horror but it was kind of funny.

“Okay okay okay. Could you maybe go over your weirdass family tree so I’m not accidentally dating one of your siblings?”  
Haku smiled. “Sure. Not in the middle of the hallway though.”  
Once both boys made it outside, Haku dragged his classmate away from the main crowd and pulled his notebook from his bag along with a pencil. He wrote his own and two other names and connected them with lines and then led those two up between two other names.  
“So this is me and my twin Futami-“  
“Wait, you’re a twin?! Is he around?!”  
Haku shot his classmate a withering glare. “Futa goes to Kosei. And there’s also our sister Aki. She’s older, already left school and doing her thing. Our parents are Ren and Goro.”  
Three… two… one…  
“No mom?”  
Theeeeeeere it was. “Test tube babies. Most of us are. Anyway, our dads are married to each other and their third husband Yusuke.” This name was added a little further down the page. Then a horizontal line from under Ren was drawn from his name further to the left of the page. “Dad Ren’s other kids are Aoi, Rei,Mitsuko and Masami. Dad Goro’s other kids-“ Another line, this time going from Goro’s name. “-are Kogan, Akinari, Saboro and Jiro. And those are the people I’m related to by blood.”  
His classmate gave a nod and looked over the little diagram. Then a scowl fell over his face. “It’s not done. Apart from your twin and your older sister, what about these guys? They got moms, right?”  
Oh good, his classmate was successfully distracted from dating prospects for once. Haku twirled his pencil between his fingers.  
“Good eye. You originally only asked about my blood relatives but if you’re really interested in this rabbit hole~” Haku drew a line between Masami and Yusuke. “So Yusuke is Masa’s other parent. Yusuke has a couple other kids; Honoka, Navi and Akinari. Akinari you already know about, Honoka is Aunt Haru’s-“  
“Okumura?!”  
“Yeah. Honoka uses Kitagawa though.” Ah. The thoughtful pose was back.  
“…the artist?”  
“Yup.” He replied, drawing out the sound. “Aunt Haru is also the mother of Aoi, Jun, Yuuka and Hiro.”  
“…I thought Yuuka’s family name was Sakamoto? Like the coach?”  
“That’s her dad yeah. We’re getting there.”  
He was pretty sure his classmate murmured something but he didn’t quite catch it. Most people had similar reactions when he tried to explain his family tree; it was almost a tradition at this point to set aside time after some kind of family based project to complain about reactions and questions.  
“Anyway, back to this line up here. Kogan’s mom is Makoto. Makoto only has a couple other kids; Mitsuko, Zukuya and Jun, and she’s married to Ann. Yes, the model.”  
His classmate’s mouth opened and closed several times, giving Haku the highly amusing mental image of a goldfish.  
“…you do this a lot, huh?”  
Haku’s only response was to give a very tired sigh before continuing.  
“So Ann is Zukuya’s other parent but she’s also had kids with her old friend Shiho, Finley and Nao. Shiho married another family friend but at that point, we’re outside of the kids that grew up together. Shiho and Yuuki were always invited to family functions and stuff, obviously, but their kids aren’t really seen as our siblings which is a good thing cause I think Masa and Hayate started dating recently?”  
“That everything?”  
“Nope.” One last line this time connecting Haru and Ryuji. “So Coach Sakamoto is married to Aunt Haru and they’ve got Yuuka together. Haru’s kids, we’ve already talked about and then Ryuji’s other kids are Maki, Saboro and Jiro.”  
“Okay… okay cool.” His classmate was looking over the little chart, following the various lines and reading all of the names. “What about these guys?” He asked, pointing to Maki, Navi and Hiroshi.  
“Navi and Maki’s other is Futaba.” Haku replied, mood turning sombre. “Don’t bring her up with either of them and especially not any of the adults. As for Hiro… doesn’t matter. Is dad is Ryuji.”  
“But-“  
“Doesn’t matter.”  
“I know but-“  
Haku’s eyes glinted dangerously. “Doesn’t. Matter.” He said with a tone of finality and didn’t ease up until his classmate nodded. “Okay great, so you know who to avoid if you don’t want half of Tokyo breathing down your neck.” He simply smiled before throwing everything into his bag and right on time too.  
“There you are, Haku. I thought you had cleaning duty today?” Masami Kitagawa asked. Tall and lanky like his father with the same oddly tinted hair and sharp features.  
“Nope, that’s tomorrow. Just talking with a classmate. Dad at home making coffee?”  
“Obviously, that’s literally his job now come on before it gets cold and he gives you his patented sad face.”


	2. Household Mornings Part 1 - Free Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning routines for the Akechi-Amamiya-Kitagawa and Niijima-Takamaki households. A combination of two different drabbles so you lovely readers have a slightly longer chapter to read.

Mornings in the Akechi-Amamiya-Kitagawa Household   
  


With so many under one roof all with different habits and temperaments, mornings in this house could be incredibly hit or miss. Goro was usually already at work before the sun was up, being Chief Detective and therefore always on call so he did his best to not wake up his husbands or children too early. Pulling away from the incredibly comfortable mess of limbs was a daily struggle and the temptation to just make an excuse and stay home for a few more hours cuddling his beloveds hit him multiple times a week. However, Commissioner Makoto would absolutely have his head. If she couldn’t spend an extra few hours with her wife, he couldn’t spend an extra few hours with his husbands. It was far too early for breakfast, at least for him so while nothing compared to Ren’s coffee, he wasn’t about to wake the man when he was finally allowed to relax a little and just be content with a quiet life. Store bought coffee paled in comparison but it and a snack would do until he got to the office. Makoto usually chewed him out about it anyway but only because she had the same habit. The morning would actually start whenever Ren and Yusuke woke. They usually woke up around the same time, tangled together seeking warmth after losing Goro in the early hours and one would encourage the other to sit up. It still sometimes took a little bit for either of them to get moving. If Honoka had stayed the night or had hinted she would be over at some point in the morning, they got to have a little more time to themselves. Yusuke’s eldest was an absolute blessing and God help you if you resisted her requests to sit down and eat. Of course, if Honoka wasn’t over, that left the husbands to sleepily drag themselves out of bed to remind the kids that breakfast was a thing and several of them needed to go to school.

Aoi, Ren’s eldest, had a room to themselves and jury was out on whether they had accidentally pulled an all nighter or not. It honestly depended on the day, how much homework they had, what had distracted them, the position of the moon and stars, the last time someone had sacrificed their tuna to Morgana. Whoever went to wake them up usually did it gently. Slowly bringing their head out of the clouds and guiding them downstairs, putting a mug in their hand and a plate of food in front of them. Yes, it had to be done exactly like that.  
Ren would also get the twins up. Haku and Futa shared a room and slept like logs. It usually took blinding the two of them by opening the curtains to get them moving. Futami was quicker to wake up than his brother Hakura, the latter stumbling around bleary eyed until he’d had coffee and the caffeine had kicked in.  
Yusuke, meanwhile, would see if Masami had gone to bed at any point. If Masami wasn’t in his room, he was in the art studio either awake or asleep. Both were regular occurrences. Sometimes he had, sometimes he had been struck with inspiration and had ended up staying up all night or had only been asleep for an hour or two. The two would sit and talk about any dreams they’d recently had or the art they’d created before bed, comparing notes and technique and what exactly had inspired them. Masa would then help his dad get his other siblings up.  
The boys were first; Rei and Navi shared a room though Rei only lived there part time, spending the other part of the week with his other dad Ryuji. They weren’t too difficult to deal with; just had to poke a head round the door every few minutes until at least one of them was standing was usually enough to get the other two up.

Breakfast in this household tended to be a quiet affair until the caffeine kicked in. About half of this family branch had picked up Ren’s caffeine addiction so conversation would usually kick in right around the time people finally made it to functional. Haku and Futa would usually start discussing a game they had played recently, Masa would switch from poking fun at Haku to discussing more creative things with his father and his sister Honoka if she had joined them. Aoi had their little quiet corner, reading their book and taking notes and being reminded by Ren to finish eating. Conversations would bounce between everyone, with three or four different topics being discussed at once at any one time and once the younger kids had left for school and Aoi had left for college, Yusuke and Ren would just sit. Enjoy another coffee, enjoying the quiet for a little longer before Ren had to go and open LeBlanc for the day. The two would share the dirty dishes, one washing and one drying and leaning against each other and gently hip or shoulder checking each other as they worked. Their home was full of love with just a dash of chaos and they wouldn’t have it any other way. Then of course, there were the days when Yusuke’s art kept him out of the city and sometimes out of the country. Those were the days Honoka would come over more often to help Ren get the house going. The loss of warmth was a downside but Ren really did enjoy starfishing in the huge mattress he would have to himself.

\-----------------

Mornings in the Niijima-Takamaki Household

Despite best efforts, the Niijima-Takamaki household was consistently chaotic despite having fewer occupants. Commissioner Niijima Makoto was always up before the sun. She would get dressed and leave a kiss for her sleepy wife because damnit, Ann was a Goddess and deserved to know she was loved even when asleep. Once downstairs, Makoto would have something quick, a cereal bar and a piece of fruit usually just to begin the process of waking her body up, and make the lunches for the kids. It gave Ann one less thing to worry about especially on mornings when the model had an appointment. Cleaned up after herself too. If Makoto felt it would take too much time or make too much noise, she would set aside the necessary portions for Ann to properly cook later. Makoto would then very quietly lift her motorbike a little away from the house just so the initial start wouldn’t wake anyone up. That was the idea at least. Motorbikes were loud, it probably still disturbed the lighter sleepers. She would then meet up with Goro at work where they would commiserate over leaving their partners so early and Makoto would tell him how Kogan, their child, was doing.

It was when Ann awoke that the chaos started.

Kogan was absolutely fine as he was the most organised. He had to be, he couldn’t exactly rely on his eyes to track down anything that was out of place. The oldest child in this house and indeed the oldest in the entire patchwork family, caused few problems in the mornings. Zukuya could be a bit of a problem if he’d had a late night and therefore didn’t want to get up the next morning but he at least knew where he’d left everything if he hadn’t had a chance to pack everything the night before. Jun could be a little hit or miss depending on what his schedule was for that month. He was either up with his mother or still fast asleep but either way, when leaving the house, he could be a little chaotic if he’d missed his alarm. The problem came when Finley and Nao attempted to start their day. Because somehow, despite every attempt, these two somehow managed to lose everything. Their shoes somehow weren’t by the door, their bags and homework had somehow gotten separated, their books on this table and that surface. It was a complete mess. As soon as those two were awake, it was an all out panic to grab everything, get food in their bellies and hope and pray you don’t get caught in their whirlwind. Kogan did occasionally, the siblings were hard to predict at times but he did manage to at least get himself against a wall before he was knocked over. And then Ann somehow managed to get them all out of the door on time. Honestly, no one really knew how they managed that because Kogan just wandered out on time with everything while Nao and Finley just sort of… stumbled out… usually with Finley still trying to put a shoe on and hopping out of the door, usually trying to use Nao as a stable surface. While Nao was just trying not to trip over her volleyball and shoving her homework into her bag. Zukuya… sort of avoided the entire thing by quietly being the first out of the door usually before any of his siblings noticed, but that did mean he got one of Ann’s coveted hugs and could linger there longer than most because the others weren’t also trying to get her attention.

Then Ann would either get herself ready for a shoot or pick up after the chaos of the kids she had with Shiho and then make sure the house was liveable. Often, she ended up having to quickly do brush her hair and do a basic layer of makeup whilst picking up after her chaotic boys and then running out of the door herself to get to a shoot. Keep up her social media presence, because model but also it was fun and a good way to casually practice and see what the market was like. Sometimes either Makoto or Shiho would find a free moment at some point in the day and they would talk; about work, about the kids, about anything that came to mind. Makoto would usually offer to pick food up on the way home too. Order and calm came with Makoto, followed her wherever she went; it made for hectic mornings but they pulled through.


	3. First Ventures - Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So you've met some of the cast now, if only briefly in several cases, nut now our story can truly begin. Our Fool experiences his awakening and he is not the only one to discover and remove a mask.

Brown eyes fluttered open and looked around. Haku didn’t recognise anything. Everything was an odd shade of blue; a dark rich blue with occasional lighter blue highlights and gold accents. He seemed to have dozed off on a… chair of some kind? Haku sat up straighter, feeling material fall around him, pulling on his shoulders slightly and the ends clipping the back of his legs. More shifting as he looked down at himself and saw he was wearing the same blue-gold colour scheme as the room. High ceiling, arched doorways made of stone, a long carpet leading to a large door at the other end of a hall and was that the edge of a plinth he could see in his peripheral? Several thrones were on either side of him; tall, proud and golden.  
 _Oh._ He thought to himself. _I’m on a throne. This is a throne room._ One hesitant hand raised and started to feel gingerly around his head. His fingers landed on something smooth and metalic so he took it off to look at it. A circlet. A simple design, silver with no gems but with a kind of winding whimsical design. It almost looked like ink brush strokes. He put it back on and finally stood up, looking around a little more. Behind the other thrones were huge portraits, each one of his family; his fathers, his other father and his many siblings all in beautiful gilded gold frames.   
“Welcome to the Velvet Room.”  
“Gah!”  
He jumped, tripping over his cloak (why was he wearing a cloak?!) and then stumbling against his throne. The voice came from his… left. He turned and saw a desk that he swore wasn’t there a second ago or maybe he just hadn’t spotted it until now. It was simple compared to everything else in the room; a couple of rolls of parchment and a quill. The voice itself wasn’t low but it wasn’t high either. A high tenor perhaps. And the person who spoke looked like a children’s drawing of what they thought a butler looked like come to life. Huge bulging eyes, bald on top but with white whispy hair halfway down reaching the neck and an impossibly long nose.   
“Uh… hi?” Haku replied, giving a nervous wave and trying to sit back down. “I… don’t know you. How did I get here”  
The stranger let out an amused chuckle. “This place exists between all things. Between dreams and reality, mind and matter, the conscious mind and the unconscious mind. But be assured, you are perfectly safe here and free to leave whenever you wish.”  
“Okay. Cool. Awesome.” Haku swallowed and weighed his options. This was totally just a dream. He had all the control. He’d never dreamed this vividly or thought this clearly during a dream but he could totally just… wish himself out if things got scary. Right?  
“So… who are you?”  
“I am Igor, the master of this place.” He looked around. “And it seems I am fulfilling the role of advisor this time.” He stretched out a gloved hand and a young woman stepped out from between the pillars.  
“And I am Arabella, it will be a pleasure to serve you.” She curtseyed. Western style, Haku noted, before smiling back.  
“Hi there~”  
Silvery hair framing golden yellow eyes and a sweet face. She looked to be around his own age and she smiled back politely.   
“We are here to assist in your journey.”  
The flirtatious smile fell. “My journey?”  
The sun shone through the windows of the throne room. Apparently there was a stained glass piece up in the ceiling somewhere as a beautiful pattern, gold of course, was projected onto the blue stone floor.  
“Our time is up for now, young man. We shall see you again, perhaps sooner than you think.”

\-----

Well that was a weird dream… not that he could remember it now. Just a lot of blue. Ah well, his alarm was going off and the missing duvet meant one of his fathers had come him to wake him up already. The dream could just be put down to accidentally falling asleep with Netflix still on and randomly playing things. He could already smell his dad’s famous coffee so it was definitely time to get up and head to school. The morning seemed to whizz by; he blinked and was at the school gates not looking forward to things at all. His classes today were ones he was either neutral on or didn’t like that much. Well… except Homeroom. That particular part of the day was the one he dreaded the most and it was a daily thing. Haku blinked again and it was almost lunch. Huh. He wasn’t too hungry today so he decided to just wander to the bathroom and try to wake himself up because he was weirdly spacey today. Was this how Aoi always felt? He’d have to ask after school. He fiddled with his phone as he wandered back from the bathroom between classes. There was a weird app on his phone that kept reappearing even after deleting it and once again, it had come back. It was weird. He had a few minutes before his next class started, he could take a little time to try and fix this weird bug. Better than the dread of waiting for his next teacher to turn up…

Haku had become withdrawn since starting his second year at Shujin Academy, refusing to open up to any of his siblings. Even his own twin and his favourite half-brother couldn’t get anything out of him. His eyes remained fixed on his phone as he tried to figure out why the hell this stupid app was back and just randomly tapping the screen in an attempt to get rid of it. It was also a great distraction from his brother Masami’s worry. Haku had grown up with him; he knew how to listen out for his older brother and knew what his presence felt like. Masami had all of Ren’s flirtatiousness and Yusuke’s good looks and artistic talent and, like all of Yusuke’s children, Masa had inherited the legendary infinite patience that he was using to try to crack Haku’s defenses once again.   
“Haku c’mon, talk to me. What’s going on?”  
“Masa it’s fine, it’s really no big deal.”  
Haku found himself tugged into a quieter hallway, his older brother firmly gripping his arm and staring at him; Masa’s gaze had always been piercing. That artist eye he’d inherited from Yusuke.  
“Haku, you’re practically a different person compared to only a couple of weeks ago before the school year started. You’re miserable! Let me help.”  
“What exactly do you want me to do or say, Masa?!” Haku snapped back. “It’s fine! It’s not like anyone can do anything about old Warden Megumi-sensei anyway. Not while she’s running this stupid prison!”  
He really shouldn’t have said even that much. He didn’t need Masa to worry. No one could help anyway. Megumi-sensei wasn’t leaving any marks on anyone, grades were strict but she could usually find a legitimate enough reason for why she graded the way she did. As far as anyone was concerned, technically, no crime was being committed. Haku took a breath before forcing his arm out of his brother’s grip.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.” He turned and started heading back out into the hallway, Masa following close behind.  
“Just means that maybe this is more of a deal than you’d like me to think.” Haku almost rolled his eyes at Masa’s gentle tone. He didn’t want pity or attention or help. He could handle this. Masa and the rest of his half siblings and the others in their huge patchwork family didn’t need to know about this. “Are you sure-“  
“For the last time man, I said no.” Haku quickly cut him off before he bumped into his brother’s back and finally looked up from his phone to grumble at Masami. “Hey, what the-“

Shujin wasn’t exactly the most colourful of schools but there were usually posters up about upcoming events at the very least and Haku and Masa had been close to the gym; there should have been posters about a volleyball tournament and a track meet currently up on the walls. Everything somehow looked more dreary now. The walls were darker, the windows were smaller and unless Haku was mistaken, it suddenly smelled rather strongly of damp. Concerningly so. He slowly spun on the spot, trying to figure out what exactly had happened and where he was because he definitely hadn’t left the school.  
“Hey Masa… you’re seeing this too, right?” Haku slowly asked.  
“If you’re talking about the walls turning to stone out of nowhere, the lack of light and the general feeling of hopelessness and depression-“ Masa was saying, examining his surroundings with his thumbs and forefingers in a frame shape. “-then yes, I see it.”  
“Okay. Good to know I haven’t gone crazy and I’m not having another weird dream.”  
“Well we may as well try to find our classes?” Masa suggested, starting to slowly creep along the hallway, Haku copying him.  
“Are the doors still in the same place?”  
They managed to get about halfway down the hallway before being spotted by a guard. They… were human? Possibly? Black like darkness or shadow with glowing eyes and decked out in prison guard gear and moving somewhat human like. Commanding strides, pupiless gaze fixed on them.  
“Return to your cells at once!” The figure demanded, the voice echoing a little.  
The brothers exchanged very confused looks but went along with it for the time being. The guard was carrying a nasty looking baton which Masa spotted first and nudged Haku so he would be aware of it too. Haku nodded, understanding the warning. Now was a bad time to get sassy and channel their shared father. Despite cooperating, the boys were shoved a little every few steps as they were guided to their ‘cells’ though apparently the guards weren’t too smart or didn’t recognise faces or something because both boys ended up in the same room. Haku was a second year so should have been in this particular classroom but Masa was a third year and should’ve been on the next floor up. Or wherever the equivalent was for this place. Both boys were forced into chairs and desks which immediately chained their wrists to the desktop and their ankles to the chair legs as the warden walked in. Haku froze up, staring at Megumi-sensei, the teacher who had been verbally torturing him since school began and he still couldn’t figure out the problem. He was doing everything on time, he was polite, he worked as hard as he could, he didn’t cause trouble in her classroom… but he was used to her insults by now. So he zoned out as soon as her mouth opened. It was like static in his head by this point though it felt a lot louder this time, more insistent somehow. Distantly, he heard his brother yell something at him but he didn’t quite register it; Masa sounded pretty irritated. Or passionate. One of the two.

Haku felt a pulsing sensation in his temple and went to adjust his glasses. Maybe he needed a new prescription again. He could barely hear himself think between that and the static in his head and Masa trying to communicate. The pulsing only got sharper and soon, a dull ache behind his eyes started up, making him really want to rub at them furiously and his attempt at movement only added Megumi-sensei’s voice to the din and sensations he was already trying to handle. Haku felt something bubble at the base of his throat and boil in the pit of his stomach, felt something sort of… shift in the back of his mind and swore something was trying to whisper to him through all the noise. He couldn’t. Make it out. There was too much. He tried to move a little, to rest his elbow on the desk- oh wait, his wrists were in cuffs on the desk. Right. That was a thing. One word cut through the noise and through the last shred of his patience; a slur, a foul word he would never dare repeat especially not in the presence of any member of his family. The noise became next to nothing compared to the sudden roar of his temper. He couldn’t stand but Haku could hear himself yelling loud enough to make his voice hoarse very quicky. He wasn’t sure what he was yelling either, just yelling. Could be anything. Could be gibberish for all he knew but wow it felt good to yell and scream at this complete bitch of a woman because how dare she use such a word for his brother. His fists clenched and his entire body shook as the pain in his head came back. This time it was sharp, like someone had driven a white hot spear through his skull and that whispering had finally become audible to him.   
**_Ah, at last. Doesn’t it feel good to finally let go and let everyone see your pain? There is so much to live up to; perhaps that’s why you couldn’t hear me, you can’t be your siblings or your parents. You have to be you. And you are wild. You are a light in the darkness for others even if your methods have to be a little cutthroat. You can accept that, can’t you?_**  
It was an echoing kind of whisper, like it was reverberating on the inside of his skull and worryingly, it was like a deeper harsher more experienced version of his own mid range voice.  
 _I think I can._  
 ** _You think?_** A sharp question. No. A demand. One Haku had to answer.  
 _I can._  
 ** _Good. Then we are in agreement._** Suddenly the pain got worse if that was even possible as the voice started to chant.  
 ** _I am thou  
Thou art I  
Thou who hides in the shadows of others  
Embrace your light and carve out a new meaning of your name  
Extend your hand to those who wish to reclaim theirs  
And show the world who you truly can be_**  
  
His struggling and flexing through his anger and pain had broken the cuffs. Something was on his face and he didn’t want it there. He wanted it _gone_. It had to go. **_Now_**. He grabbed it and pulled. He yanked as hard as he could and it was _agony_. It felt like he’d been lit on fire but at the same time, like an intense pressure had finally been released. Just as soon as it started, it was over. He’d broken his bonds and was on his feet now, breathing heavily from the effort of everything but he had an almost cruel smile across his face. He paced slowly, dangerously, between the desks towards his target. Purple tailcoat swishing slightly in the breeze as power rolled off of him waves. Behind him hovered a spectral being, glowing blue chains criss-crossed the being’s chest and connected to similar looking ones now wrapped around Haku’s torso and wrists. The being itself had the silhouette of a human with few of the features. Instead of a face, formless smoke with menacing glowing red eyes under the brim of a fedora and a gash where a human mouth would be in a straight line that was currently upturned slightly at the corner in a cocky smirk. The torso seemed to be made up of very thin grey and beige stripes, somewhat resembling a pinstriped suit with a red splattering here and there that oozed down into the formless red cloud his torso rose from. Its hand, huge and monstrous, were currently resting on Haku’s shoulders; an almost friendly perhaps even fatherly gentleness to them as the claws tapped against the chains wrapped around Haku connecting him to his persona.  
“Y’know… I think already said this earlier.” Haku said, voice low as he raised a gloved hand. “Fuck you.”  
Bright light flashed from his palm, making Megumi-sensei flinch and she called for backup. Three more wardens showed up and Haku raised his palm again.  
“You don’t scare me anymore, you old bitch!” He yelled and fired off the bright light a few more times.  
“Your blade!” His new friend said. His persona. Clyde, the infamous thief. Everything finally clicked into place; he’d grown up on stories of monsters being defeated by powerful thieves.  
“I hear you.” Haku replied, leaping forward with a grace and power he didn’t know he had and slashing the warden that hadn’t yet gone down.   
But the warden attacked back. Haku was surrounded by some kind of shadowy substance. It struck him and he felt drained, weak. It blocked out all light for a few precious seconds and he almost whimpered in fear as all confidence left him. He was on his knees, breathing heavily and looking scared under his purple mask. Megumi-sensei and her remaining warden loomed over him.  
“Not scared of me?” The woman purred, grabbing Haku by the collar of his new coat and pulling him up so his face was level with hers. “Are you sure about that~?”  
“Don’t you fucking dare!”  
Both faces looked over to the furious voice.

Masa had broken free. Those same blue flames licking up his arms, expression cold and furious, his eyes a familiar looking golden yellow.  
“Leave. Him. Alone.” Masami hissed through gritted teeth.  
“Or what?” Megumi-sensei asked, thoroughly amused.  
He didn’t answer verbally. Instead, Haku watched as his big brother wordlessly ripped his much more pale symmetrical mask off of his face with a pained yell but soon, he was standing there tall and proud as the flames dissipated.  
“Or I’ll run you through.” He said, finally answering the teacher’s question.  
He stood there now, dressed in traditional samurai garb as his mask settled again over his eyes. Over one shoulder, a naginata and over the other, a rifle. The naginata was immediately in his hands as he lunged with it, shoving the blade deep into the warden’s stomach. In the confusion, Masa paced over to his brother and snatched him back from the teacher.  
“You okay?” He asked and Haku nodded.  
“Better now.” Haku grinned back. “It’s like our old bedtime stories.”  
“Yes I had noticed that. Let’s incapacitate this old hag and then try and head back to school before anyone realises we’re gone. Time did still pass in those stories if I remember correctly.”  
Haku decided to focus on the downed warden while Masa targeted the teacher; he didn’t feel like facing that dark attack again. He yelled when Masa had hit it but he didn’t go down like Haku had; he looked a little shaken but Masa simply struck back with a light of his own. Bright electric blue and Haku could feel the heat from here. Haku rained down bullets from his glock and swung hard and fast with his little dagger until the warden was gone and Megumi-sensei was weakened. The door was clear so the brothers ran. They had grown up on stories of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, they remembered the childishly explained rules; killing the evil version in this world would only hurt the real, more complex version in reality. But they did find a door and ducked inside to hide.  
“So…” Haku began, slightly out of breath.  
“Yep.” Masa grinned back.  
“Guess we’re Phantom Thieves.” Haku tapped his temple. “His name’s Clyde.”  
“Battousai. We’re gonna have to figure out what skills we have too. The Phantom Thieves had ‘magic’, remember?”  
“We can figure it out later. We really need to make sure we haven’t accidentally skipped half the school day and we won’t suddenly reappear outta nowhere.”  
Both boys pressed their ears to the door and heard random footsteps and chattering instead of the repetitive strides of someone on a path. Haku crossed his fingers and cracked the door open, sighing as he saw someone with a school uniform pass by. He grabbed his phone and checked the time. School was over. Fuck. But they could at least blend into the crowd leaving school to go home. The brothers shared a look; they could talk properly when they got home.


	4. Three Is A Crowd - Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A third member is added to the party quite unintentionally

Yuuka Sakamoto could be described in many ways. With her sweet smile and adorable manner of speaking and her penchant for cute dresses, her father Ryuji called her a princess. Along with many others. Her mother Haru saw the mischief in her eyes and the very purposeful way she would smile and tilt her head so she called her youngest an adorable terror. Her various siblings had similar thoughts. Yuuka’s smiles only worked on some of them. The paparazzi adored her, calling her a little heiress when she was swinging from the arm of one of her older brothers, cameras flashing in her direction all the time as she smiled so sweetly for them; her long ponytail, tied back with a ribbon, bouncing as she skipped to her destination. According to them, she was the only Okumura daughter worth paying attention to; Hiro got a lot of attention because he was expected to inherit the company next, Jun and Aoi were either blatantly ignored or passive aggressively subtly slandered and insulted, Honoka didn’t even use the name Okumura and was clearly taking after her father so that left Yuuka. Fourteen year old Yuuka with baby fat still in her cheeks and referring to her siblings as Big Bro, Big Sis or Big Sib. Little Yuuka who loved her family and liked most people but didn’t necessarily have deep friendships with them. Yuuka who loved the attention. And it was exactly why she couldn’t go home alone. The paps were like vultures and she would never get anywhere and the last thing a fourteen year old wanted was to be swarmed by strangers with cameras even if she liked attention.

Haku was supposed to be walking her home today. She couldn’t find him. He didn’t have any after school stuff going on… so Yuuka wandered the campus. Either to find Haku or to find her father and hang out with him until it was time to go home. She wandered through the hallways, silently deciding not to go to her dad’s office until she’d searched the school twice because Haku would probably move at some point so she might miss him with just one sweep. But then she found him! And Masa. Not unusual, the two of them usually walked home together but they were hunched by the supply closet. Were they looking at a funny video? Yuuka rounded the corner to approach the two of them and catch their attention when the world went sort of hazy. Her head pounded for a moment and she leaned against the wall to brace herself, once again back around the corner and… things had changed. She opened her eyes and the school was so dim. The walls didn’t look right. She felt sort of floaty. It was weird. Then she saw that Haku and Masa were gone. Had they passed her? Disappeared? Were they back at school? Hard to say and Yuuka didn’t know enough right now to even begin to figure this mess out. All she could really do was wander around.

She… definitely didn’t like this. It didn’t look like the school anymore though it did feel kind of the same. Just sort of… what was the word she wanted? Either way, Yuuka was rightly frightened and confused. Any sound of footsteps had her ducking behind the corners of walls or below random benches and low walls, holding her hands over her mouth and nose until they were gone. She tried to follow the path she remembered that would lead from the supply closet on the third floor back down to the school gate. Nothing matched up. There were extra doors and new turnings. At one point, she managed to get to a window and when she peeked out, she saw a dark red and grey splattered sky and another building. It roughly matched up to where the other part of the school would be. She could spy the courtyard from where she was too and she saw lots of figures in… were those prison uniforms?! They were being beaten! Yelled at. They weren’t doing anything! Just getting on with what she assumed they had been told. Several of them cowered and flinched away despite being no where near the few currently being targeted. They… reminded her of big bro Haku… spirits broken, possibly beyond repair. She couldn’t make out faces from here but those striped uniforms were far too familiar for her to just ignore. What was going on?! That wasn’t what the weather looked like a few minutes ago and since when was the sky capable of being that shade of red?! She had to see, she had to know. What if people were getting really hurt down there?! Her previous caution being thrown to the wind, Yuuka took off, determined to find a way to the courtyard. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, not keeping track of which turns she was taking, only making sure she went downstairs to where she wanted to go and hoped she would end up. Finally on what she hoped was the ground floor, Yuuka took off towards a set of double doors.  
“Halt!”  
She looked back. Two shadowy figures were chasing her. Looked like cops. They had the uniforms. Glowing eyes under their hats. Yuuka stumbled then picked up the pace again. She had to leave. She had to see if those people in the courtyard were okay. She dashed towards the door, hand outstretched. Her fingers brushed the handle. And suddenly she was floating. The shadowy figures had grabbed an arm each and were now hoisting her off somewhere, scolding her for escaping her cell.

With the building looking so different, it was difficult for Yuuka to judge exactly where she was going. She was no expert on how a prison ran afterall; she’d never asked Aunt Makoto what it was like or her big brothers Jun and Futami who things worked, they were both in law enforcement. She also knew better than to ask Uncle Ren about it. Uncle Ren always got a little sad and angry if he was asked about his teenage years. As she was marched through the door, her little legs kicking between the guards, the room itself faded away for just a moment. A blink and you’ll miss it moment but Yuuka caught it. For a just a second, it was her own classroom. Then it became a detention cell once again. At the front of the room, standing in front of the blackboard, scrawling an angry message in chalk and making her ears vibrate, was a very familiar figure in a uniform.  
“Miss Megumi?!”  
“That’s Madam Megumi to you, brat!” This odd version of her literature teacher snapped back.  
It was so strange. It was definitely Yuuka’s literature teacher but her voice was sort of echoing. The uniform was law enforcement but some kind of caricature; the colour was wrong for starters and seemed to be a weird mix of lawyer, judge and police officer. The shock was enough to silence Yuuka. This was too weird to process. Before she knew it, she was shoved into a chair, wrists cuffed to the desk. All made of metal and incredibly uncomfortable. The wrists were just slightly too tight; not enough to cut off blood or feeling but enough to be a constant reminder. The metal of the chair bit through her dress and tights, cold and unforgiving, no matter how she squirmed, there was no way to sit that would even slightly relieve that pain. Unable to improve things, she decided to observe her surroundings instead. The same drab stone walls, the same narrow windows letting in next to no light. Yuuka wasn’t afraid of the teacher; found the woman unpleasant but thankfully, literature wasn’t a daily occurrence and Yuuka wasn’t always the target of her singling out. But this still didn’t feel right. Especially the words that Megumi had finished scrawling on the chalkboard. Ugly distorted writing in bright white chalk.

  
**OBEY  
**   
**DO NOT QUESTION AUTHORITY  
**   
**WARDEN MEGUMI HAS ALL ANSWERS  
**   
**INMATES ARE ALWAYS WRONG  
  
**

All repeated over and over again.

“Well?” Megumi’s angry shadowed face was suddenly right in Yuuka’s own. “Speak your lessons.”  
Yuuka’s eyes flickered from the words on the chalkboard to the wrist restraints to Megumi several times.  
“No.” She was incredulous. What on earth had brought this on?! The teacher was kind of crabby and irritable but where had this all come from?  
“Excuse me?” The teacher’s voice became a low hiss, sending shivers of fear down her spine.  
“N-No. Yuuka won’t! Those-“ She gestured to the chalk board with her head. “-are all wrong!”  
“Stupid girls need to learn. You won’t get anywhere talking like a spoiled brat.” There was a hand in her hair and Megumi was suddenly behind her, holding Yuuka’s head and making her stare at the chalkboard “Read.”  
“No!”  
THWAP  
Yuuka jolted. She felt pain in her shoulders. With her wrists restrained as they were, she couldn’t move properly when she was startled. It felt like she might have pulled a muscle.  
“Read!”  
“No!”  
The cane smacked down next to her again and again, each time, yelping in pain as she continued to make the pulled muscle worse. Just when she was thinking of maybe going along with it just so this wouldn’t happen again-  
“Leave her alone!”  
Unable to move her head, Yuuka let her gaze wander to the door which had burst open. There stood two masked figures. She didn’t recognise the clothing but she definitely recognised the voice.  
“Is… is that…?”  
“Filthy Thieves!” Megumi roared as she summoned guards.  
“How do you want to do this, Ace?” The fox mask said to his friend. It sounded a lot like Masami.  
“I’ll take the one on the right, you take the one on the left? Whoever finishes first gets Yuuka outta here?” And was that Haku?  
No time to question. Megumi was pulling on her ponytail and forcing her to stare at the board again.  
“Read.” She demanded as the guards started attacking her brothers.  
Yuuka’s eyes darted between the board and the fight. They were getting hurt! Getting hurt because of her! Sure they were hurting the guards back but they weren’t looking too good either.  
 ** _Are you ready to listen?  
_** She looked around. Who was-  
 ** _Who are you, little princess?  
Why do you freeze? Why do you dampen your fire?  
_**Her breath quickened both in pain and panic. The hand in her hair gripped harsher and there was a building pressure behind her eyes that was not from Megumi.  
 ** _Is this all you have sworn yourself to? To be the plaything of life?  
_** _I don’t… understand. What can I do? I’m just a kid.  
 **Raise your voice against liars. Protect the weak. Stand for what is right. Isn’t that what you have been taught? Why allow this woman to change that when you know it’s wrong?  
** I’m a kid, what can I do?  
 **More than you are willing to admit. Are you willing to change?  
** …my brothers need me  
 **Finally!  
**_ The pain got worse and restrained as she was, Yuuka could only do so much to try and release it. She struggled against Megumi, nails digging into the desk and pulling up wood but surprisingly, no blood.  
 ** _I am thou  
Thou art I  
Burn your false crown and fly above the chains that bind you  
Light the fires of others and guide them to who they truly are  
Consider this our trade  
A false mask for your true one  
_**The wrist restraints cracked, still firm around her wrists but no longer bolted to the desk and blue flame swirled around Yuuka. Something on her face was heavy and it bothered her. It had to go. Had to burn the mask she’s been hiding behind for so long. The pained scream she let out as she tore it from her face made everything else in the room stop as the flames died down and engulfed the tiny girl. Then there she stood.

Decked out in black and red, sleek and form fitting but not revealing. Not that she had much to show at fourteen anyway. Even her hair ribbon had changed to match the new colour scheme. She stood at the broken remains of the desk, battle axe in hand and swung the bladed end at Megumi. The teacher unfortunately ducked but it did give Yuuka a little space to move and smile over at her brothers.  
“Sorry guys, I’m here now.” She chirped at them. “Did you need some help?” She stared at the being behind her. A vaguely feminine form dressed in rags with golden wings that were somewhat tattered floated behind her.  
Both boys looked at each other then at the battle axe in her hand then at the persona… before both of them broke into smirks.  
“Let’s see what you can do, Princess~”  
Yuuka ducked around the desks and then joined Haku and Masa, her brand new weapon at the ready. She’d never held a weapon in her life but this felt so natural in her hands. It was a little awkward to swing but it felt so _right_. The battle axe made quick work of the guards and spooked Megumi into cowering in the back corner. Yuuka smirked cruelly and went to walk towards the woman but her knees buckled beneath her and she felt a hand on each shoulder.  
“C’mon, lets head out. We’ve done enough today.” Haku said as Masa helped her to her feet and the three of them walked to the courtyard that Yuuka had been trying to find in the first place.

\----------

  
As soon as the three of them stepped outside of the gate, the red sky faded, the world rippled around her and they were stood outside the school. Everything back to normal. Quiet because students had left for the day already but all back to normal. The tired feeling was still there though, it seeped into her bones like nothing else ever had but she had her brothers there to keep her going. Not back to LeBlanc though. Understandable. Uncle Ren would probably recognise this. Instead, they went to the café in Shibuya and had the slightly lesser quality blander coffee they served there.  
“So… mama and daddy’s stories weren’t that watered down then?” She asked after a few sips.  
“You don’t have to keep talking like that, y’know.” Haku coaxed as he poured a fresh cup for himself.  
“Like what?” She smiled back as Masami rolled his eyes.  
“Anyway… so we have personae. Like our parents. And you apparently use a big ass axe.”  
“Mhm! Do we need to look up our personae? Yuuka remembers that the ones in the stories were based off real people or stories. Oh… does Uncle RenRen know?”  
Both boys shook their heads. “And we’re keeping it that way. But we can go back tomorrow and see what you can do, that was part of the reason we were there today.” Haku reached a hand across to Yuuka. “Sorry for dragging you into this. I know it was my turn to walk you home.”  
“It’s okay!”


End file.
